Queen Of The Nile
by LadyDaisys
Summary: Cleo Camden is beautiful and successful. But she harbors a deep, dark secret. A secret she doesn't want revealed. A secret she'll stop at nothing to keep.


I got the idea for this story from an old Twilight Zone episode of the same name. Enjoy.

Queen Of The Nile

"Man! Who's that gorgeous babe?" Vinnie asked, pointing excitedly at the tv screen which displayed a lovely dark-haired woman in a sleeveless dress which showed off her hourglass figure.

"Don't know. She's sure pretty though." Modo replied, watching her smile and wave to a crowd of people.

"Beautiful citizen." Throttle said.

"That's Cleo Camden. She's a legend. One of the biggest stars in Hollywood." Charley explained.

"And the world." Said a voice. Everyone looked up to see a young woman with short blond hair walk in.

"Oh, hey, Shelly." Charley replied.

"Hi, cuz."

"So what brings my roving reporter cousin all the way here from downtown?"

"What else? The story of a lifetime! Namely finding out the mystery surrounding Cleo Camden's life. "

"What mystery?" Modo asked.

"Are you kidding? The secret of her youth and vitality, of course. I mean look at her! The woman's been in over one hundred and fifty movies and tv shows and she hasn't aged a bit!"

"Now that you mention it, that is odd." Charley said.

"That's why my editor wants me to interview her. And I intend to get the whole inside scoop. But I'm gonna need your help."

"With what?" Throttle asked.

"Breaking into her mansion. I've been trying to get an interview for months but she refused. Says she prefers male reporters. Thinks I won't do a good job showing her nice side." Shelly spat out those last words.

"Anyway, it's going to be dangerous. Her house is surrounded by guards, a moat filled with alligators, and a tall metal fence."

"Dangerous?" Throttle asked.

"As in life-threatening?" Modo joined in.

"What're we waiting for? She sounds like my kinda woman!" Vinnie exclaimed.

The Camden estate was an oasis of luxury and splendor. Cleo Camden, arrayed in a long pale pink camisole gazed at her reflection in a silver mirror. She flinched at noticing a small wrinkle near her mouth.

"Are you hurt, dear?"asked an old woman who stood near a window watching her.

"It's happening again, Mother. I must find another at once or I'll age!" She replied, more to herself as beads of perspiration formed on her forehead.

"No! You mustn't! Please! I don't want anyone hurt."

"Quiet, old fool and do as I say if you want to live another day!" Cleo shouted at her as the old woman nodded feebly. Then crept out of the room as Cleo continued to gaze at her reflection.

"So what do ya think of my disguise?" Shelly asked. The girl had on a lite blue suit and a fake mustache.

"'Like the fake mustache is really gonna fool anybody."Vinnie laughed.

"I'm glad to see you're in such a good mood 'cause I brought you a matching suit."she replied, handing him a blue suit coat and pants.

"No way. I'm a biker. I don't do monkey suits." He replied, waving his hands in front of him.

"Please, Vinnie. I need this interview. My job's on the line." Shelly gazed at him earnestly. Her eyes were similar to Charley's eyes. The same greenish-blue color he had come to love.

How could he ignore those eyes?

"Okay." He sighed.

Two lone bikers leaped over the steel metal fence and into a lush garden. Within minutes, they were surrounded by armed guards and German shepherd dogs who lunged at them.

"'Time to book, bro." Throttle told Modo.

"Yeah, doesn't look like they're happy to see us."Modo replied.

They rode off followed by the guards.

"Hey, you! Stop!" They cried.

" I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Vinnie told Shelly. They had rode up to the house disguised as traveling salesmen and found themselves in some kind of garden"Blasting in would've been more fun."

"That's where Throttle and Modo come in. They distract the high-end security while we sneak in through the back." They watched and saw Charley had ridden up on her bike.

"Did you think I was gonna miss out on all the action? Fat chance."

"Man, why do they get to have all the fun?" Vinnie grumbled.

Suddenly there was a rustling in the bushes. Shelly had hid behind the the white mouse who lit one of his flares. Charley aimed a blaster at the bushes.

"'Looks like you're going to get your wish, hotshot." Charley replied.

They were relieved to see an old woman in a black dress come out of the bushes.

"Welcome to the Camden estate. I'm Violet Camden." She said, pleasantly.

"Hi, I'm Charley."Charley replied, shaking hands, then turning to Vinnie and Shelly, "And this is..."

"Sheldon." Shelly jumped in, then motioning to Vinnie, "He's Vinnie. We're out here trying to sell our meager wares."

"Wares?" Violet asked, puzzled.

"Yes, you know, cosmetics and other things. Are you the lady of the house?" Vinnie asked, in the most convincing and dramatic salesman voice he could come up with.

"No. I'll get her." The old lady said, "Follow me."

"Right behind you." Shelly replied, then secretly to Vinnie and Charley, "This is working out better than I hoped."

"I don't know. Something about this place creeps me out." Charley replied, as they followed the old lady to the house, "Check out the crazy decor."

Outside on the lawn of the house were gigantic statues made out of gold. One statue resembled a dog with a narrow long snout while the other two resembled human figures and all three were arrayed like the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. The statues were covered with strange symbols.

"No surprise. Cleo Camden has been a long time fan of Egyptian artifacts." Shelly explained.

"'Wonder how the guys are doing." Charley wondered.

The guards were still pursuing Throttle and Modo.

"So far, so good. The others had to have made it to the house by now."Throttle said.

"Now all we gotta do is shake these guys."Modo replied.

Up ahead was a small lake.

"Sail and Bail! Forty! Now!"Throttle shouted. The two mice clicked a button their bikes.

Inflatable rafts shot out of the bikes. They were now floating on the lake.

"Not bad!" Throttle commented.

"Once we get done, Let's go grab a bite. I'm getting hungry."

Throttle and Modo looked at the water to see huge shadows moving towards them.

"Don't look now, bro, but we got company." Throttle said.

Two large alligators leaped out of the water with their mouths open.

"Oh, mama! This is not what I meant by a bite."

One of the gators lunged toward Modo when Throttle tackled it splashing into the moat.

"THROTTLE!" Modo called out.

Throttle was pulled under water. He wrestled with the gigantic croc for a number of minutes. Modo searched the water frantically for his friend. Throttle leaped out of the water wet but alive. The gator quickly swam away in defeat.

"And don't come back or you're boots!" He yelled at the departing form.

"Ha ha ha! Not too shabby, bro!"Modo laughed.

"C'mon, our comrades are gonna need us."

"What a beautiful house!" Charley exclaimed as she glanced at the red silk draperies, the soft plush matching carpet, and the crystal chandelier.

"Thank you. The mistress likes it that way." Violet replied. The three visitors exchanged puzzled looks.

A woman in a maid uniform walked up to them.

"Inez, inform the missis that we have guests." She told the maid.

"Yes, ma'am."she replied, bowing and walking away.

"Um, what are you selling?"Violet asked, turning back to them.

"Cosmetics!" Vinnie said with a flourish opening a briefcase in which a bunch of stuffed animals and dolls fell out, "or toys."

While Vinnie was occupying Violet, Shelly had slipped away through a side door in the foyer followed by Charley.

"Wait up, Shell! What are you doing?"

"Going where I don't belong. There's a mystery to be had in this house and I'm gonna find it while Laughing Boy keeps the old geezer busy."

"But you don't know where you're going."

"Sure, I do. This house was on the tv show 'Lifestyles Of The Rich and Thoughtless.' There's a secret panel that'll take us directly to Cleo Camden's bedroom."

The two girls hastily sprinted up the back stairs.

Violet picked up one of the dolls. It was a simple rag doll with red hair and black-buttoned eyes. She looked lovingly at it. Then turned to Vinnie to hand it back to him.

"I'm afraid I don't have the funds for it."

"It's free of charge." He told her.

"Really? Oh, thank you!" she replied, hugging it to her chest, " Do you know how long it's been since I've had a real doll?"

"Since when?" Shelly asked.

The old lady's face that was brightened a moment ago now clouded and her eyes grew fearful. She turned to Vinnie.

"Oh, sir! Please leave this place immediately! You're in terrible danger." She grasped his arm. Vinnie pulled away.

"Not to worry. Danger is my business." Vinnie replied, grinning.

" How intriguing!"

Cleo Camden walked down the stairs followed by the maid. She was even more stunning in person than on tv. The red satiny robe she wore glided as she walked towards Vinnie and Violet.

"Missis! I..."Violet replied, stammering,then thrusting the doll behind her back.

"Well, Mother, aren't you going to introduce me to our guest?" Cleo asked, then looking surprised, "But I thought there were more."

Vinnie looked behind him to see his two friends gone.

"Shelly, you idiot!" he thought. If they find them,it's all over.

"Nope. No one here but me. A traveling salesman peddling his wares trying to make a living.

"Inez told me there were three." Cleo replied.

"I thought there were, ma'am." Inez replied.

"She's mistaken." Violet said, then to Inez, "Aren't you, Inez?"

"Perhaps..."She stammered, looking confused.

"Well, no matter. Perhaps you'd like to stay for tea, my dear sir? I didn't catch your name." Cleo asked.

"Vinnie."

"Well, Vinnie. Come join us." Cleo replied, extending her hand towards him and giving him the most dazzling smile in her arsenal, then to Inez,"Bring the tea into the parlor."

"Yes, miss." She replied, bowing and walking away.

"Actually, he was just leaving." Violet said.

"Nonsense. There's plenty of tea for everyone." Cleo said, in a voice sweeter than pie.

"'Can't argue with a pretty lady." Vinnie grinned, as Cleo grinned back laughingly took his arm leading him into the parlor.

Up the stairs in Cleo Camden's bedroom was a large bookcase that turned from which emerged Charley and Shelly.

"I thought stuff like this only happened in the movies." Charley said. Everything in the room looked like an Egyptian palace except for the pc on the desk.

Shelly then pulled off her mustache and began getting on the computer typing.

"What are we looking for?" Charley asked her.

"Info."

"Like this?"

Charley held up a faded newspaper article.

"Where'd you get that?" Shelly asked.

"In a drawer."

They looked at the headline: "Chicago Tribune reporter mysteriously vanishes."

"Look at the date! June 5, 1973." Charley said.

"I read about that case. He was the last person to interview Cleo Camden. The police never found his body. People always suspected she had something to do with his disappearance but without a body or evidence, the case was dropped. It became a cold case." Shelly replied.

Charley suddenly grew pale.

"You think she killed that guy?"

" She did."

Shelly and Charley turned in the direction of the bookcase to see Violet.

"It's the old lady!" Shelly said

"You have to go to your friend! Hurry or he'll wind up like the others!" Violet cried, wringing her hands.

"What do you mean "like the others?" Are you saying your daughter's a murderer?"Charley asked.

"She's not my daughter. She's my mother!"

"That young woman? Whoa! Incredibly well-preserved."Shelly said, shocked.

"No, she uses scarab beetles to absorbs a person's youth and vitality. That's how she's stayed young all these years. The beetles then kill their victims after they absorb their life force."

"Vinnie!"Charley exclaimed looking towards the bookcase entrance.

"You'll have some tea, won't you, dear boy?" Cleo said, walking up towards the tea table while Vinnie sat on the couch. She bent over a cup of freshly made tea. She then secretly slipped a sedative into it and picked it up.

"Sorry, sweetheart, but tea ain't my thing. Got any root beer?"

Cleo then angrily slammed her hand on the table and faced him.

"I think I've indulged in this charade long enough." Cleo said. Before Vinnie knew what hit him, Cleo wrapped a thick chain around him and attached it with a padlock.

"Whoa! Who da thought a classy lady like you would be into stuff like this?" Vinnie said, incredulous.

"Shut up! I just want your youth." She replied, walking to a large potted plant and reaching inside to retrieve a small glass box with gold trim. She opened it taking out a tiny black bug.

"Ugh! What's that?" Vinnie said, eyeing the creepy bug as she approached him.

"One of the greatest secrets of the Pharaohs. The secret to immortality: a scarab beetle. Soon, your youth will be mine!"

She was just about to place the scarab on him when it was shot out of her hand. The scarab laid on the floor keeled over.

"No! My scarab!" Cleo cried out. They looked up to see Charley standing erect, with a smoking blaster in her hand.

"Don't bet on it, sister." She said.

Throttle and Modo crashed through the window. Modo fired his bionic arm at the chains that held Vinnie freeing him.

Cleo picked up the dead scarab crying. Then suddenly grabbing her own face she was hunched over.

"Mother!" Violet cried out, hand outstretched. Cleo looked up. Everyone was shocked. She was old! Her dark hair was as white as new fallen snow.

Cleo sprang up and to the mirror. The person she beheld couldn't have been her. An ugly wrinkled old prune.

"NOOOOO!"Cleo was now on the floor writhing in pain and anguish as she began aging more. Then she dissolved into dust. A breeze from the crashed window carried it away. All that was left were her clothes.

"Oh, Violet, I'm so sor-Violet?"Charley glanced over at Violet who was now a young woman in her 20's.

"Thank you, everyone." She replied, smiling to a shocked Charley.

"Don't tell me she stole your youth, too?" Shelly said.

"I was one of her first victims, yes. She didn't kill me because i was her daughter. Thanks to you, the curse is lifted. I can finally pursue my lifelong dream."

"Let me guess. You want to be an actress?" Vinnie asked.

"How did you know?"

"Lucky guess."

"Well, guys, thanks for all your help. Now I can publish a great story." Shelly said, beaming at the three bikers and Charley.

"After all that, I got a taste for some hot dogs and root beers." Vinnie said.

"You're playing my song." Modo said.

"Then let's Rock and Ride!" Everyone said, riding through the broken window then down the road. Violet watched them go. Then waved at their departing forms with a wave: Her mother's wave.


End file.
